It occurred to him that perhaps he should make an appointment with his cousin, Trey’s good friend Dominic Lawrence, Marquess of Hawthorne. Gavin had met the marquess a few times, and the one thing he learned from the encounters was that Hawthorne was a different kind of gambler. He enjoyed investing large sums of money in ventures. Thankfully, most of them paid off.
Perhaps this was how Gavin could get back some of the money that had been taken from his own coffers. Of course, he needed to find the thief before gaining any more money for fear that would mysteriously disappear, too.
As he turned the corner of the manor, women’s voices rang through the air, loud with laughter. Knowing whom he would find, he quickened his step toward his grandmother’s favorite spot, her flower garden.
At first, he couldn’t see anyone, but as he came closer, he noticed his grandmother sitting in her rollerchair, pointing to something not far in front of her. The older woman wore pinktoday, which, in his opinion, made her face appear paler than normal. But this color was the woman’s favorite, so he couldn’t argue with her on this subject.
For a moment, he wondered why Priscilla wasn’t watching her employer… until a flash of blue material caught his eye. Apparently, the lady’s companion was kneeling in front of one of the multicolored daisy bushes. Since his grandmother had many bushes with this particular flower, it was difficult to see anything else.
“No, dear Priscilla. Look toward your right.” His grandmother continued to point as she leaned forward.
Gavin sped up his gait, mainly for fear the younger lady wouldn’t see his grandmother slipping out of her rollerchair. If he didn’t hurry, he might not catch the dowager before she fell to the ground.
Just as he reached her side, she sat back and clapped her hands. Her face lit up with a smile that nearly stretched from ear to ear. When she saw him, she hitched a breath and touched a hand to her bosom.
“Gavin? What are you doing out here?” She gasped. “And why do you look like you have been rolling in the dirt again?”
Priscilla snapped upright, holding a kitten against her chest. She was grinning until her gaze flew to his face. Locks of the young lady’s black hair had come out of her fashionable bun, and one particular piece stuck on a scratch to her cheek that appeared to be bleeding. Her eyes widened as she looked him over, clearly noticing his disheveled state as her heart-shaped mouth hung open. She looked shocked, but only because he was filthy, not because he wasn’t injured from the fall. Just as he suspected, she wasn’t responsible for cutting his saddle.
Immediately, he dug into the pocket of his over-jacket and pulled out a handkerchief that was, thankfully, still clean. Without saying anything, he leaned toward her and dabbed thecloth against her cut. She gasped and yanked back. The kitten in her arms squirmed, and the animal’s claws pulled at the material of Priscilla’s day dress.
“Why did you do that?” she asked in a sharp tone.
Slowly, he straightened.Ungrateful woman!“Your cheek is bleeding.” He showed her the tiny spot of blood on the handkerchief.
“It is nothing but something the kitten did, I assure you,” she answered quickly.
“The poor kitten was frightened,” Grandmother explained. “Miss Priscilla was trying to get the animal out of my flowers, and I fear it scratched her face.” She cocked her head, narrowing her eyes on him. “But you still haven’t explained why you are outside in the garden with us looking likethat. Is something amiss back at the manor?”
“I needed a rest from looking over the ledgers, so I went riding.” He shrugged. “Unfortunately, my saddle decided it didn’t want to stay on the horse, so I fell off.”
Both women gasped, but his grandmother’s concern was more evident. Still, he knew Priscilla had nothing to do with his accident. It wasn’t in her nature to harm someone.
“Oh, Gavin, my boy.” His grandmother reached out to touch his arm. “Are you injured?”
“No, just my pride.”
The dowager sighed heavily. “Thank goodness for that. Let us hope it doesn’t happen again.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” He glanced at Priscilla, who was trying to avoid looking at him. “But now I’m happy I came across the two of you, because I realize what lovely things I can find in the gardens, so I’m quite certain this won’t be my last time coming out here.”
Priscilla’s cheeks darkened, and she threw him a glare before dropping her gaze back to the kitten. He wanted to laugh.Thankfully, his grandmother didn’t mention anything about her companion’s chilly attitude toward him. Then again, his grandmother was wise, and he didn’t doubt she’d heard rumors about his roguish ways. He also knew the dowager, and she was quite frank when she wanted answers. He was certain that if she wondered if he had broken Priscilla’s heart, she would ask. But in private, of course.
“Well, it is a very lovely day to be amongst the flowers.” His grandmother smiled and looked toward her companion. “Is it not, Miss Priscilla?”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Priscilla muttered.
“Gavin, perhaps you would like to join us as we continue through the gardens?” The dowager arched an eyebrow.
He wanted to laugh, but not at the old woman. It was obvious that Priscilla wasn’t too happy about the invitation. Her jaw tightened and she pursed her lips. He even wondered if she tightened her hold on the kitten, but the little furball didn’t cry out, so perhaps Priscilla knew how to keep her anger out of her hands. He couldn’t say the same about her expression, though.
“I wouldn’t want to disrupt your peaceful time in the gardens,” he answered, looking back at his grandmother.
“Oh, posh! You are not disrupting us. Is he, Miss Priscilla?”
Gavin clenched his teeth and tried his hardest not to grin as he waited for the young miss’s answer. She was thoroughly adorable with the wrinkles around her knees, and dirt stains not only on her dress but on her face. And her messy hair made him want to remove the pins holding the coil together at the back of her head and let the bulk tumble around her shoulders and back.
He quickly halted his wayward thoughts. He needed to stop these ideas before they grew into nothing but complicated—and improper—situations. He couldnotthink of her as a desirable woman. Not when she was his grandmother’s companion.
